You need to take her out on a date now! ...and do something nice for your wife.

01-02-2013

Rowntree55

Looks great. Was my first choice but I didn't want to wait for it to be in stock back in Aug, so I went with a '12 Cobia.

Time to lose the tire reflectors and get her dirty

01-05-2013

C-Kryt

Thanks everyone! Yup she's the best wife ever - she knew I was looking at a couple bikes for a while and picked exactly the one I wanted :)

Did a couple rides to get things dialed in...already ordering goodies for 'Flynn' (The Mamba design this year reminds me so much of TRON which I love). I feel like a kid again...gonna hit some trails as soon as I get the chance :D

01-05-2013

BoomerBrian

Very nice. Digging the color scheme.

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01-05-2013

BeginnerCycling

Very nice -- have fun getting it dirty!

01-09-2013

KBuc

Congrats!
I went matte black.
Had mine for a month or so. Replaced saddle with a WTB and Shimano clipless pedals. Otherwise all stock.
It's been a great bike. Unbelievable confidence builder. I'm on intermediate trails which blows my mind.
You'll enjoy it big time!

01-10-2013

eyejustamazeyall

thinking of getting one of these .... looks like the best bet for a 29er in the 1k price range. enjoy!

01-10-2013

trevor_b

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyejustamazeyall

thinking of getting one of these .... looks like the best bet for a 29er in the 1k price range. enjoy!

Ever looked up the airborne new goblin?

01-10-2013

C-Kryt

The LBS that my bike came from had a solid deal that included lifetime service - that was a definitely a plus as well.

Goblin was a solid option but my size is sold out, also checked out Specialized, C-Dale, and Giant, but the Trek was the best all around for me...Highly recommend the Mamba for the <$1K range!

01-10-2013

C-Kryt

Quote:

Originally Posted by KBuc

Congrats!
I went matte black.
Had mine for a month or so. Replaced saddle with a WTB and Shimano clipless pedals. Otherwise all stock.
It's been a great bike. Unbelievable confidence builder. I'm on intermediate trails which blows my mind.
You'll enjoy it big time!

Congrats to you too! The Matte Black looked sweet too ... Should be the Dark Knight Edition :p

I'm also looking at the Mamba to purchase soon. My local bike shop doesn't have it in stock, but they've ordered one for me to test ride. So in the meantime...

Your black/orange Mamba looks great!

One question I have looking at your pic -- did you specifically rotate the shift levers up?

Because it looks like you'd be pressing DOWN on it instead of a more forward action below the handlebar. Does it not work that way?

And that indicator window for gear position seems completely forward facing so you can't even see it. Not that I would need to see mine, but why even have the indicator window if it only faces forward?

01-20-2013

C-Kryt

Quote:

Originally Posted by solidass

I'm also looking at the Mamba to purchase soon. My local bike shop doesn't have it in stock, but they've ordered one for me to test ride. So in the meantime...

Your black/orange Mamba looks great!

One question I have looking at your pic -- did you specifically rotate the shift levers up?

Because it looks like you'd be pressing DOWN on it instead of a more forward action below the handlebar. Does it not work that way?

And that indicator window for gear position seems completely forward facing so you can't even see it. Not that I would need to see mine, but why even have the indicator window if it only faces forward?

Hope you enjoy your test ride - what other bikes are you looking at?...

Thanks for the video link. The matt black model is in fact the one I've ordered. Just plain jane color is my preference.

As for comparative shopping, the bike shop has a '11 Rockhopper Pro 29er that I *might* be able to talk down to the same price as the Mamba! If you recall, that's a $1,300 bike. I wouldn't compare the Mamba to a regular Rockhopper 29er. Maybe not even the Rockhopper Comp because of the front fork.

The shortcomings on the Rockhopper Pro I noticed was a squealing rear brake. And I'm not sure about the '13 Mamba brakes either (Hayes as opposed to the '12 Shimano).

That's what will decide it for me.

01-20-2013

BoomerBrian

I thought they ditched the Hayes for Avids in 2013. I have the Hayes Dyno and I am not impressed.

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01-20-2013

solidass

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoomerBrian

I thought they ditched the Hayes for Avids in 2013. I have the Hayes Dyno and I am not impressed.

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The brakes on the Mamba is indeed the biggest question mark for me. I don't really know for sure which will come with my order. But the Trek website right now says it'll be Hayes.

That is what my Cobia has. Not very good stopping power IMO but they do work and I live in Oklahoma so I don't need much. Maybe some others that have them can chime in.

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01-21-2013

smethbet

Thanks everyone! Yup she's the best wife ever - she knew I was looking at a couple bikes for a while and picked exactly the one I wanted

01-21-2013

C-Kryt

Yeah the brakes were one of the things I asked about when scoping the 2013 model since they went from Shimano (2012) over to Hayes (2013) for the Mamba while some other Trek models switched over to Avid. I was hoping to have everything Shimano, but after talking to a couple of the bike shops around especially the techs working on all the bikes they said that the Hayes were pretty solid and to just swap out when things broke and if I needed more stopping power to just upgrade the rotor size. Another thing that was pretty common was that they said they had tons of Avid warranty claims from faulty components and to stick w/ Shimano if I ever decided to swap the Hayes out.

Just some insight that I found helpful - hopefully it helps anyone else that was wondering. I liked that there was no pressure for upsales but rather just good info from the guys working on all types of bikes w/ experience w/ all the various components.